


A Little Brighter

by FifteenDozenTimes



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Domestic Bliss, M/M, Tumblr ficlet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 05:06:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5193347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FifteenDozenTimes/pseuds/FifteenDozenTimes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt "The world always seems brighter when you’ve made something that wasn’t there before."</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Brighter

“This is the best part,” Raymond says, beaming proudly as he swings the back door open onto a postage-stamp patch of scrubby brown grass. “It has a lawn.”

Raymond grew up in the city, he doesn’t know any better, so Kevin stifles the urge to laugh and just smiles at him. This will lengthen Kevin’s commute, more time on the train to fill with crosswords, but shorten Raymond’s, more time to himself to take classes, have leisurely breakfasts, do what he needs to get through the days ahead. 

It will be a home, and it will be theirs, and Raymond’s presenting Kevin with this sad little square of land like it’s the crowning jewel of this charming little place he’s found for them.

“It’s lovely,” Kevin says, kisses Raymond and lets him decide for himself whether Kevin means the house or the gesture.

*

Kevin throws himself completely into the task of creating The Perfect Home. Raymond is working ever harder for ever fewer rewards, pushing more and more against the invisible box he’s kept in, coming home with his shoulders lower, face more lined with exhaustion, by the day. Kevin’s shoulders have never been strong enough to bear the weight, but he takes what he can, and escapes into painting, putting up shelves, selecting artwork, building a haven. 

As he always does, Raymond puts as much weight on Kevin as Kevin can bear, and doesn’t ask him to take more. He smiles, asks Kevin if they’ll have a place to live when their lease is up or if they’ll have to sleep in Kevin’s office, and lets Kevin escape when he needs to.

Raymond has an endless capacity to take care of himself; that might be the mysterious quality that meant Kevin couldn’t tear himself away early on. Still, Kevin feels guilty for hiding as much as he does, and every time he’s struck by a pang of guilt, another cashmere throw, another impossibly comfortable armchair, another set of soft sheets in Raymond’s favorite colors makes its way into their new home.

*

“This is the best part,” Kevin says, too nervous Ray won’t appreciate the reversal of a gesture to smile quite as proudly as Ray had. He swings the back door open to reveal a postage-stamp square of rich brown soil.

“Did you put down seed? What sort of grass did you go with? I understand - “

“I thought you might like to take up gardening,” Kevin says. “Orchids, maybe.”

“It’s too cold for orchids, most of the time,” Raymond says. Kevin’s known him long enough, studied him long enough, loved him long enough, to catch the subtle shift in tone that says his gesture is well-received. “But I’ve always fancied myself a bit of a green thumb.”

“I suppose we’ll see if that bears out,” Kevin says. There’s no doubt in his mind it will.


End file.
